There’s an atheist in my attic
rattling his chains
shuffling up and down
tapping on the drains
There’s a pastor in my fireplace
but I can’t get him to burn
he quotes the scripture at me
though I refuse to learn
There’s a demon in my basement
lurking under the stair
it’s only by his awful stink
that I even know he’s there
There’s Mormons knocking at my door
and they have no bloody idea
the bullshit I have to put up with
living in here
there is a snake in my heart
coiled neatly there
it stays safe and warm
I let it in
it brought an apple
it brought some tears
but that’s okay
I keep it near
that warm little snake
in my heart
The saints are returned to walk amongst us
unrecognised at first
Some say they are genetic experiments
Some say they are the devil’s seed
Some just stand and stare
silenced by their silence
We humans are drowning in our own detritus
roiling filth and chaos is up to our necks
Is it any wonder then
that blessedness should fall elsewhere?
The holy dogs walk amongst us
and calm spreads like ripples
through water
They make no sound
They appear where they will
Cameras and phones fall unheeded from hands of onlookers
You will not see them on any screens
They regard us
and walk on
Some say they should be shot
Some say they can cure ills
Some who have seen them say little
but their faces shine
and tears pour like wine
The saints walk on
paws padding softly
heavy heads held high
tails slowly waving
They walk on
She hears them in the street
as she walks home.
When she turns around
no-one is there.
They sound behind her car
as she sits idling at the lights.
In the rear view mirror
there is nothing to see.
They echo in the dark
as she lies in her bed,
sheet clutched to her chest;
the sound of horses running in the night.
There is a bird
he is calling
this pale morning
his cry wringing
and wrenching the rain from the sky
a sudden silver shower
I rinse my soul clean
and hang it on the line
to fly in the breeze
dry in the breeze
the bird flies away
leaving me standing
nothing to hear
but the dripping of trees
a new day
this cup is in motion
this chair is a song
this table is a string of pearls
a thought can slip through
swimming in the infinite space between
as does a fish
scales gleam in a shaft of light
then dim into dark
a silent wish
echoes in the void
You have come a long way
And everything is changed
How different the world is
Made with love this morning
You have new armour now
And fresh horses too
Don’t hesitate if the road looks familiar
Press on, press on
There is still far to go
Dark shadows stain the still grey day
a cloud of birds pass from tree to tree
calls like water
pouring
Walk into that cloud
and you will find they weave time
strands trailing from beaks
tangled in shady wings
and you are
caught
Suspended
in a silvered web
and the world spins around you
Just another day 